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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470666">A Glow in the Darkness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimefloat/pseuds/keylimefloat'>keylimefloat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Unspecified Setting, M/M, Slow Dancing, dojae explore the concept of "love" briefly, dystopian ish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:02:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimefloat/pseuds/keylimefloat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being stuck on a train without a destination for the rest of his life is not what Doyoung wants, but at least he has Jaehyun, whom he can make memories with, and an unrelenting curiosity that will perhaps get him in trouble one day.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Glow in the Darkness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Doyoung hops off his desk and walks toward Jaehyun, who is currently rearranging Doyoung’s potted plants on the windowsill in the dark. He gently pries Jaehyun’s hands away from the shelves and pulls him toward the center of the room, away from the bed, away from his glass shelves of trinkets. When Jaehyun whines in protest and tugs him back toward the wall, Doyoung only shakes his head and guides him back onto the rug.</p><p>“Are we really doing this?” The small bluelight lamp illuminates Jaehyun’s face when he turns, making his smile noticeable in the dimmed room.</p><p>Doyoung nods and stuffs a hand into his pocket to press play on a remote he grabbed a few hours ago.</p><p>A small smile splays on Jaehyun’s lips. “It’s nice,” he comments right off the bat. Doyoung hums in agreement, then proceeds to move one of Jaehyun’s hands to his shoulder and holds the other one out. “Cello?” he adds later, voice rising with the music</p><p>Doyoung chuckles. “It starts with a cello solo, yes. I thought you’d forgotten about instrument names after spending so much time in the kitchen.”</p><p>“I could never. Ever since I let the people choose what to play on the speakers, I’ve heard all sorts of pieces.”</p><p>Jaehyun steps on his foot while trying to follow and Doyoung kicks him. “You’re really bad at this.”</p><p>“I’m trying. For you.”</p><p>Doyoung bites down on his lip and pushes the words onto the coast, away from his sea of thoughts. For now, he focuses on how his and Jaehyun’s feet move, redirecting their steps when he deems it necessary.</p><p>The opening cello plays again and he sighs. Jaehyun is stumbling less now, but he cannot help feel that something is wrong. Something is out of place.</p><p>Ah.</p><p>“Jaehyun? Move your right hand.” He shakes his head. ”No, not like that. Higher,” he instructs. “Higher. There you go.”</p><p>“It doesn’t… feel weird?”</p><p>Doyoung looks up, his chin held high. “Why would it?” he challenges.</p><p>“I don’t know.” The answer is innocent and honest.</p><p>When Jaehyun successfully adjusts to the tempo, Doyoung takes a step closer, only for the latter to take one in the opposite direction. Doyoung pulls him back, then leans in a little just so their faces are brushing against each other.</p><p>This time Jaehyun is the one who takes initiative and hooks his chin on Doyoung’s shoulder. Doyoung does the same and closes his eyes, letting his feet take control of the pace. Their arms are no longer held out, instead closing in with their hands resting on each other’s waists.</p><p>They sway for a while in silence, and Doyoung hears Jaehyun’s humming rumbling ever so lightly against his shoulder. He loses track of the exact time, but is vaguely aware that it has already been half an hour, with the same piece looping several times now.</p><p>Every time the orchestra crescendos and the echos ripple throughout the room, he grips onto Jaehyun tighter, who then trails his fingers slowly up and down his back and whispers, “It’s okay. You’re safe here.”</p><p>Jaehyun knows. Of course he does. He is the one that always shushes Doyoung with his lips — Doyoung learned that this is called “kissing” but has yet to tell Jaehyun — when he rambles about the books he is reading. When Doyoung forgets where he is and the volume of his voice starts to increase at an untimely manner, he is there to hold him back, most of the time entailing a questioning look and then a knowing smile as he takes Doyoung back to his own room.</p><p>Like always, in the secluded bedroom, Jaehyun would reprimand him regarding talking too much, then warn him about the time someone talked too much then disappeared. And Doyoung would nod as he always did but continue to share his finds in the library as Jaehyun listened attentively and stroked his hair. He likes to think Jaehyun is the one urging him on out of curiosity because he never has the time to go to the library as the head chef, but perhaps it is his own job in the infirmary lulling him to sleep that always has him wandering away and amongst the shelves.</p><p>Doyoung has only ever seen one other person in the library. Pink hair, rounded glasses, a rather sharp nose. If someone asked for more details, he would not be able to answer. He has never asked for a name.</p><p>The library is dangerous. It is one of the compartments everyone walks by but never really explores. It is the unknown, and no one wants to step into uncharted territory.</p><p>For Doyoung? The library is heaven. He gets to explore the outside world, the one behind the boxes and frames of the train they live in. All he knows is he cannot escape, and the books are a way for him to forget about the confined space he has been living in his whole life.</p><p>“Jaehyun.”</p><p>“Hm?” He lifts his head up.</p><p>“Do you like me?”</p><p>Jaehyun frowns. “No, you’re not an object.”</p><p>Right. Doyoung forgets that “liking” is limited to objects. Perhaps the fantasy of the books is getting to his head.</p><p>“Okay.” He takes in a deep breath. “Let me rephrase the question. Do you love me?”</p><p>Jaehyun, after a deep breath, replies, “I don’t know what that means.”</p><p>“Like feeling affectionate,” he suggests, although his statement sounds more like a question.</p><p>Jaehyun just shakes his head in confusion. Doyoung, on the other hand, racks his head for an excerpt of comparison. He <em>had</em> to have read something useful at some point.</p><p>“Oh!” His eyes light up as he thinks of an example. “When you walk into the infirmary with blood flowing down your arms, I panic and want to drop everything I’m doing.” He pauses. “Wait, no. I would probably do that if Taeyong walked in like that,” he adds. “But not for Johnny.”</p><p>“So you feel the same way you do about me as you do about Taeyong?” Jaehyun gives him a puzzled look, all the while tightening his hold on Doyoung’s waist. “That’s unfair. I feel differently for you than I do for others.” Then, he frowns.</p><p>And Doyoung is weak for frowns, especially when they come from Jaehyun, because a frown from him makes Doyoung want to pull Jaehyun onto his bed and into a hug, want to shower him with compliments so the words he hears from others will always make him happy. He wants to make sure Jaehyun is surrounded, engulfed in positivity.</p><p>“When you walk into the kitchen to watch me work, I want to start cooking the dishes you always order, even though I know you’re not there to eat most of the time. But when Johnny comes in, I just tell him to sit down and wait if I’m working on someone else’s order.”</p><p>“That…” Doyoung wants to tell Jaehyun he has pinpointed the definition of love, but how can he do that when he has only read books about it? None of the habitants on the train have ever mentioned the word lest they disappear for eternity. He cannot blame them though, for he too has learned to shut up about anything that is beyond common knowledge. Anything he learns from books is kept to himself or discussed with Jaehyun in private. “That sounds nice.”</p><p>“Just nice?”</p><p>“I mean, it sounds like what I read about. But I’m not sure.” Doyoung purses his lips and hopes Jaehyun understands.</p><p>The other nods.</p><p>“Sorry I couldn’t explain properly. It’s hard. No one talks about it, and I’m too afraid to ask others.”</p><p>“Well, you have me.” Jaehyun removes a hand from Doyoung’s waist and reaches up to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear. “I’ll always be here to listen, even if I have no idea about what you’re saying.”</p><p>Doyoung giggles. “I’m glad you’re by my side, I really am.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/keylimefloat">twitter</a> | <a href="https://curiouscat.qa/keylimefloat">cc</a></p><p>can't believe I would be posting something so short but here we are !! I definitely spent a lot of time worldbuilding and was teetering between making a fic with plot or just a series of one-shots to explore the world... I went with the latter in the end because there's still so much to explore and, me being me, I don't think I want to let go of such a place so soon. linked my twt and cc hehe you can talk to me there or just... scream at me I don't mind &lt;3 and thank you for reading \o/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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